Collapsible crate.



j. A.. IIAZEN & I.. D. GENI'LER.

COLLAPSIBLE ORME.

APPLICATION FILED FEE. 24. 15H5. v geheggm@ mmm Jim. 2,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

GOLLAPSIBLE CRATE.

Specification of Letters atent.

Patented Jan. 2, its?,

Application filed February 54, i915. Serial No. llf

T0 all 'whom t may concern lle it known that we, .latins A. .Hearn and Lotus D. (lnN'rzLnn, citizens of the United States` and residents of Holyoke, in the county ot' Phillips and State of Colorado, have invented a ne and improved Collapsible Crate, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in collapsible crates and more particularly to those construct al of metal and more especially designed for use as egg crates.

- The primary object oiFY the invention is to provide an improved collapsible egg case in which the component parts thereofv are connected in novel relation to be folded so asA to occupy a minimum of space for shipment when empty and to be readily set up and closed for shipping purposes, as well as serying to etliciently protect the contents from breakage. Y

With the above and other obj eets in view the invention resides more particularly in the peculiar combination and arrangeinen ol parts to be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed, it being also an object to provide' a device which is simple in construction, durable and etlicient in operation.

Rcference is to be had to the accompany ing drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of rei erence indicate 'corresponding parts in all the views and in which- Figure l is a plan view of a ci'illapsible crate constructed in accordance with our invention, the cover thereof being in position to engage the body of the crate; Fig. Z is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on tbe line Bd?) ot Fig. l; Fig. 4 is plan view of the body of the crate opened out; and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view ot one of a pair of locking members forminga part of the crate.

As illustrated, the. improved collapsible crate or folding case comprises a bottom portion l() of rectangulawforni in plan, to tbe viront edge of which a iront portion ll is hinged as shown at l2, said iront portion having its top edge rolled as shown at i3 and having its end edges provided with tongues i4 bent outward at acute angles with respect thereto, and the ends of the rolled portion or bead 13 and thetongues lei beveledfiind spaced apart. To the rear edge of the hottom l0 a back portion 'l5 is hinged, as shown at 1G, the hinge joints being preferably' termed by the engagement of coacting tongues ot the portions hinged .around pintles 17 soy that the parts may have pivotal movement relative to each other. i

The top edge oi the back portion is -provided 'with a rolled 13 similar to the iront portion, and to the end edges of 'the back portion l5 end sections or walls 18 are hinged as shown at 19, the top edges oi" the ends being rolled, as shown at 20, and the `tree vertical edges thereof loing provided with tongues 2l. bent at acute angles'relative thereto in the same manner a's the tongues le and adapted to aline with the latter when the. crate is set up. The bottom edges of the ends i8 are provided lwith anges 22 directed at right angles thereto to extend beneath and Jform supports for theY as will be later described.

Secured vertically to the inner faces o the iront and baci; portions are groove keepers all oi the parts as described beine preferably constructed ol' metal and the keepers being bent from sections o metal and soldered or otherwise secured to the inner faces of the iront and baci( portions intennediateljti of the ends thereof. l The keepers Z- are provided with entrance slots '25e designed to t "e a central vertical partition which is provided with oppositely extending relient or flanged ends engaging the keepers so that. the partition may bei placed in position or removed vertically in sliding engorgement with the keepers.

ils thus described the crate may be set up by raising the front and nach portions at right angles toy the bottoni 1.0 and then swinging the end portions i8 at right angles to the back portion to e gage the ends of the bottom and front portions with the i'lauges 22 extending beneath the bottom. This -will cause the tongues le and 2l to come together in alinenient and trie body is then br; aed by engagement ot lr ling members 2T with said tongues.

bottom l0,

Cla

the

oppositedireetion to the direction ot ing olf the portions 28. These ioeliing members are slidy over the tongues ld and 2l so as to connect the iront and end portions, and the partition is then slid into position to brace the body' and divide the same into two compartments of equal size. The body is then closed by a eover having opposite longitudinal beads 33 and a similar bead or bent portion 3i at one end, the other end being smooth and unobstrueted. This eover is slidhorizontally on to the rolled portions 13 of the front and bael: portions of the body until the part 34 engages the rolled portion 21 of one end member l5, the cover overlying the upper ends ot' the looking members 27 so as to prevent displacement ot the latter. It desired, the top portion or cover 32 and one rolled portion 2l may be provided with apertures through which a wire seal of ordinary form may be passed to prevent unscrupulous opening of the crate during shipment.

The crate may be folded in a compact space by folding the end portions 18 against the inner tare ot the back portion. folding the bottom portion against the innqg; tace otl the front portion and then folding the back portion against the. bottom tace ot the bottom portion, the other positions being laid eoinpaetly thereagainst and all bound together if desired.

Having thus deseribed our invention, what we elaim as new and desire to seenre by lietters Patent is:-

1. A collapsible metal rrate, comprising a bottom, a trent hinged to the bottom, a back hinged to the bottoimthe `lront and bach bend' mienne having rolled upper edges, ends hinged to the baek and having at their lower edges flanges extending under the bottom to support the saine, the end edges of the front and the front edges of the ends terminating in outwardly projecting tongues having their inner portions contacting with each other, removable grooved looking members slidingly engaging the said tongues, and each locking member being formed of a fiat strip having its edges bent inwardly toward each other and spaced apart, and e cover having longitudinal beads slidably engaging the rolled edges of the front and back; Y

2.. A collapsible metal crate, comprising a bottom, a `front hinged to the bottom, a back hinged to the bottom, ends hinged to the back and having at their lower edges flanges extending under the bottom, the endl edges olf the front and the front edges of the ends terminating in outwardly extending tongues standing at aeute angles to said edges and having their inner portions in engagement with eaeh other, removable grooved looking members slidably engaging the said tongues, each member being formed oi a vtiat strip having its edges bent iinifarlly toward each othe and terminating a short distance from one another, and a cover having a sliding engagement with the Crate.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names 'to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES ALTON HAZEN. LOUS DAVD GENTZLER. lVitnesses lniLxr ZuminnMAN, WiL-Linn E. CORRELL. 

